Grave's Disease - looking for answers

Friday, October 23, 2009

I saw my doctor yesterday aftering having my usual blood tests done on Tuesday. I am happy to say that the tests have come back at an acceptable level (as I suspected). I didn't write down my readings (I will get these from my doctor next visit) but I remember the TSH was 0.7. But I was told that all is good. After telling her that I have not taken any medication (dose that I was told to take at last visit - 1 neo-mercazale to keep heart rate down) now for a few weeks and my heart rate is fine she is happy for me to come back in 6 months or before if any symptoms come back. I am obviously really happy that my Grave's has subsided and hopefully is gone for good. Time will tell. I know that medication was necessary in the beginning but I think that maybe diet, lifestyle changes and possibly dental revision may have played a part in my cure. I cannot be 100% sure but every day I read about GD sufferers who never get to the stage I have, so I will continue to do what I am doing. I hope that there are some sufferers out there who might benefit from my documenting my journey over the past 18months. Maybe some of the things I have discovered have worked for me will also work for someone else. Good Luck to all!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Dont know what's going on but I am full of energy, I feel great at the moment - I feel cured!. I got over the tiredness of the past few weeks and as of last week I have been feeling great. I started running last week and this week have increased the excercise again. So far this week I have run for 40mins 3 days in a row and also done minimum of another 20mins each day on the bike or other machines at the gym. Last night I also did an hour and 15min step class. I can't beleive it....as of last Monday I can say I have no symptoms at all. I have not taken a neomercazale at all this week and my heart rate is staying low even while running. Dare I say I must be in a remission stage of "Graves". I don't know whether having the mercury removed from my mouth has helped but I am pleased to say it has not made anything worse - they say symptoms can get worse before they get better. In my case apart from tiredness for a couple of weeks no worsening of symptoms. I still have the root filled tooth to come out so I am looking forward to feeling even better. I can't really be sure dental revision is the key but hey! who knows?????? Keeping my fingers crossed.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

It's been a while since I last posted, very slack I know. It seems I don't have too much to report from day to day now as things have even out. I am in the middle of the my Dental revision. Amalgam removal and removal of a root filled tooth. I had 7 mercury fillings removed two weeks ago. It wasn't painful, just like having a filling really but as I had seven done at once my mouth, jaw and gums were a bit sore. A couple of the replaced fillings (they are now a different substance - non toxic I assume and are white) need to be filed down a little and I am having that done tomorrow along with the removal of the remaining 4 amalgams. Each time they remove the mercury fillings I have a drip of Vitamin C and Magnesium (don't know if there is anything else in the drip). I found this quite painful, sort of like when you have a drip in your arm and they flush it with saline - it stings for a while. Well this stings the whole time to the point where your whole arm throbs and the feeling you get is weird. I felt dizzy and drunk-like and warm timgling sensation in my stomach and legs. I felt strange for about an hour and then felt really tired. The next couple of days I felt really drained and had bad headaches. I presume this is the toxins being expelled from my body that were released when the fillings were drilled as no doubt I swallowed some and I think it goes directly into your bloodstream. Anyway tomorrow is the 2nd and final of the removals. Then it will be the Root filled tooth which has a crown to be removed completely. I don't think I have to replace it as I have never lost a tooth before so I have plenty. This root-filled tooth which was treated about 4-5years ago shows up on a dental xray with an infection beneath it. As I have mentioned, studies have proven these toxins from mercury and infection can be traced in people with auto-immune disease and I want to give myself the best chance to recover. On another note my heartrate is really good - The 1 neo-mercazale I am supposed to take now I have not taken for a couple of weeks and my heartrate is great when I exercise. Therefore I could say that I have no symptoms. I am tired a lot but I think I have just got used to be tired and sleeping more than usual, I am trying to break this habit. I will have another blood test this week and see my Doc for results, I am hoping for next to normal T3 T4 and TSH (this has not happened yet so I am hopeful) going by how I feel I think I am in remission. The dental revision can only benefit my health more and I have to try to stick to my eating plan. This has not been the case over the past 3-4weeks. I still am very keen to stick to the plan but life just hasn't allowed that. It is a lifestyle choice not just a fad diet so I have to keep trying to improve my habits all the time. I am trying not to be too hard on myself and just keep trying to make the better choices.......I am far from perfect.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

I don't have too much to report....Good or bad. I guess that's good as life is just cruising along no symptoms to speak of. My hair has stopped falling out and I can see heaps of new growth which is good. I feel healthy - I would love to not need as much sleep bu at least I wake up OK and I'm am not tired all the time. My diet seems to be going OK I don't seem to feel like meat again though but I notice when I make myself eat what I am supposed to it gets easier. If I don't eat meat (bacon etc) for breakfast for a couple of days I find it hard to start doing it again and just end up with eggs only (not that bad i'm sure still protein). I have not succumbed to the ease of a bowl of cereal nor have I relented and had any bread, which is always the easy choice for breakfast. I find this not a problem. I'm sure some of the things I eat do have some sugars so I suspect my diet still has a small of sugar but I don't seem to crave it at all. I would like to try a totally Gluten free diet and absolutely no sugar at all just to see if I notice a difference. It would take a lot of work to be super vigilant checking everything especially when I eat out. My amalgam removal was booked for next week but I am heading away so I have to wait until the following week. My heart rate is also really good - worked out today on a new machine and my heart rate only got to around 160 much better than 200 so I am assuming the medication is doing it's thing. Hopefully I can get off that soon (1 tablet a day 5mg neo-mercazale). Basically program is going good I think it is well worth it and I feel good.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

I am getting slack with posts.....as I am feeling better than I did 3 months ago I find myself outside of the house rather than in front of a computer screen. This is a good thing I'm thinking! I only did 2 gym days last week and I didn't go today either. I had my big weekend last week - of drinking and eating and did not suffer too badly. Although it has shattered my determination to be a strict as possible with the diet. Once I had that first sip of champagne it seems hard to say "no" now. Saturday night, Sunday, Wednesday Lunch, Saturday night just gone and again yesterday. Well I will have to end all this fun soon and get back to doing the right thing if I want to see this through. I have 3 weeks left on the program but I think as I have missed a few days they are going to add on a week which is good of them to do this for me. After I finish I will certainly be sticking to the eating program but I am not sure whether to rejoin for the Gym or whether I can do it on my own. Maybe I should keep going until all my dental revision is completed in case I start to feel awful. I'll have to see.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Well I am down to 66kgs (on my scales) which is 5.6kgs. I'm pretty happy about it as it seems to have been a long time coming - my goal is 60kgs but I might be a little ambitious. Now that my TSH is below 2 the weight does seem to be coming off. This weekend is the big weekend I have been waiting for - I am going to drink and eat on Saturday night and not worry about any rules. I am excited about it but also scared that Sunday I will regret it all! Anyway I won't know unless I go for it!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

It's been 10 weeks now - I would love to say that I have lost the weight I wanted.....but not as yet. Today I was only down 0.1kgs in other words "nothing". I was a little disapointed - my measurements were down but that had gone up a little at the last weigh-in (don't know why). So my scales were at 71.6kgs when I first started and now my scales say 66.8kgs so that's almost 4kgs on my scales. I really expected to be down a little more but the past couple of weeks things seemed to have slowed. I asked at the clinic today whether I should pick up the exercise but 3 sessions are week are supposedly adequate - obviously they don't say NO but he didn't say get out there and go for it and you'll lose more weight!. I think I will anyway - maybe just a walk on the days I don't go to the clinic - it can't hurt. Still sticking to diet - been a little slack with vitamins but intend to rectify that today. All else is good .....still think I am much better off on this diet (program) than not - if I had of kept gaining at the rate I was I could have been another stone heavier by now. My amalgam removal is booked for September. Three appointments over a couple of weeks - something to look forward too....